ReachOut! target areas worst affected by Severe Child Poverty

Last month Save the Children published an eye-opening investigation into severe child poverty in the UK. Save the Children, a recognised leader in studies of this kind, published their findings following both national and local, authority-level research. The document makes for an interesting yet shocking read and highlights specific geographical areas where severe child poverty is most likely to be found. Tower Hamlets and Manchester were named as the most likely, with one in four children living in severe poverty and Hackney featured as the tenth.

The report offers recommendations to the government in its aim to tackle the problems. This includes a focus on improving education and reducing barriers to employment. They also mention children’s activities beyond their formal education, suggesting that a lack of outside school activity is ‘hitting their educational and social development and leaving them excluded from society’.

For an organisation that works to encourage confidence, self-esteem and raise aspirations among children, the report is particularly interesting. Operating within several of the most significantly affected areas and providing for the demographic featured by Save the Children, ReachOut!’s relevance could not have been better confirmed.

Source: Save the Children, Severe Child Poverty : Nationally and Locally (Feburary 2011) [http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/en/54_14969.htm]

Steph Pickerill